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MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

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BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

The Violence That Helped Spark the NAACP

In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Autographed 2008-2009 Charlotte Bobcats basketball owned by Robert L. Johnson

Date
2008-2009
Manufactured by
Spalding, American, founded 1876
Owned by
Robert L. Johnson, American, born 1946
Subject of
Charlotte Hornets, American, founded 1988
National Basketball Association, American, founded 1946
Alexis Ajinça, French, born 1988
D.J. Augustin, American, born 1987
Raja Bell, American, born 1976
Andre Brown, American, born 1981
Shannon Brown, American, born 1985
Matt Carroll, American, born 1980
Jared Dudley, American, born 1985
Ryan Hollins, American, born 1984
Sean May, American, born 1984
Nazr Mohammed, American, born 1977
Vladimir Radmanovic, Serbian, born 1980
Sean Singletary, American, born 1985
Jason Richardson, American, born 1981
Description
An autographed leather basketball owned by Robert L. Johnson. The ball has eight orange panels with black ribs. Three of the eight panels have text printed on them. One panel has black printed text that reads [COMPETATIVE INDOOR/OUTDOOR / [NBA logo] NBA / Zi/0 EXCEL]. The logo is a gold outlined, black rectangle with rounded edges featuring a stylized, gold graphic of a man dribbling a basketball next to gold text on the left that reads [NBA] inside the rectangle. On the far right is a barcode. Another panel has black text that reads [SPALDING®]. The third panel with text features a black outlined rectangle with rounded edges. At the center of the rectangle is the inflation valve with black text printed around it in text of varying sizes and fonts that reads [SPALDING] at the top with [Inflate / 7 to 9 lbs. / Made in China] to the left and [ZI/0 EXCEL / Composite / Leather / BAW] to the right of the inflation valve. Below the box is small black printed text that reads [U.S. PATENT # 6.206.795]. Many of the orange panels feature autographs from the Charlotte Bobcats players. Autographs include: Player #21 Alexis Ajinça, [AA / 21]; Player #14 D. J. Augustin, [D.J. / #14]; Player #19 Raja Bell, [RB / #19]; Player #1 Andre Brown, [A Brown]; Player #12 Shannon Brown, [SB #12]; Player #13 Matt Carroll, [MC 13]; Player #4 Jared Dudley, [JT /D 4]; Player #15 Ryan Hollins, [Rh#15]; Player #42 Sean May, [SB]; Player #6 Nazr Mohammed, [Nz Mohammed]; Player #10 Vladimir Radmanovic, [Radmanovic], Player #44 Sean Singletary, [SS]; and Player #23 Jason Richardson, [JR].
Place collected
Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
Place made
China, Asia
Place used
Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Athletes
Basketball
Black Enterprise
Business
Sports
Television
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Memorabilia and Ephemera - Other
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert L. Johnson, Founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and First African American Majority Owner of a National Basketball Association Team, The Charlotte Bobcats
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2020.16.2
Type
basketballs
Restrictions & Rights
© National Basketball Association
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on imitation leather
Dimensions
H x W x D: 9 1/2 × 9 1/2 × 9 1/2 in. (24.1 × 24.1 × 24.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Autographed 2008-2009 Charlotte Bobcats basketball owned by Robert L. Johnson
Record ID
nmaahc_2020.16.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
AUTOGRAPHED 2008-2009 CHARLOTTE BOBCATS BASKETBALL OWNED BY ROBERT L. JOHNSON
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2000s
Name
Johnson, Robert L. • May, Sean • Brown, Andre • Spalding • National Basketball Association • Ajinça, Alexis • Singletary, Sean • Radmanovic, Vladimir • Richardson, Jason • Charlotte Hornets • Bell, Raja • Dudley, Jared • Carroll, Matt • Augustin, D.J. • Hollins, Ryan • Brown, Shannon • Mohammed, Nazr
Place
North Carolina • Charlotte • United States • Asia • North and Central America • China • Montgomery County • Mecklenburg County • Bethesda • Maryland
Topic
Black Enterprise • Television • Athletes • Basketball • Business • Sports
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Bethesda • County • Montgomery County • State • Maryland • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • Country • China • Continent • Asia • City • Charlotte • County • Mecklenburg County • State • North Carolina
Type
Basketballs (balls)
Online Media Rights
Use Restricted

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

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NMAAHC

A Portrait of Two American Artists as Young Negro Scholars

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Cover of the May 5, 2003 Sports Illustrated issue owned by Robert Johnson

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Autographed 2008-2009 Charlotte Bobcats basketball owned by Robert L. Johnson

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Outdoor Smith Johnson family portrait

Date: Date

Description

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TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Which Supreme Court case ruled state-sponsored public-school segregation unconstitutional?

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.